EPC Evidence-Based Reports

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), through its EPCs, sponsors the development of various reports to assist public- and private-sector organizations in their efforts to improve the quality of health care in the United States. These reports provide comprehensive, science-based information on common, costly medical conditions and new health care technologies and strategies. The EPCs review all relevant scientific literature on a wide spectrum of clinical and health services topics. EPCs also produce technical reports on methodological topics and other types of evidence synthesis-related reports.

Under the Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) Program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 5-year contracts are awarded to institutions in the United States and Canada to serve as EPCs. The EPCs review all relevant scientific literature on a wide spectrum of clinical and health services topics to produce various types of evidence reports. These reports may be used for informing and developing coverage decisions, quality measures, educational materials and tools, clinical practice guidelines, and research agendas. The EPCs also conduct research on methodology of evidence synthesis.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) serves as the science partner with private-sector and public organizations in their efforts to improve the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care delivery in the United States, and to expedite the translation of evidence-based research findings into improved health care services. In this context, AHRQ awards task order contracts to its Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) to undertake scientific analysis and evidence syntheses on topics of high priority to its stakeholders, which includes public and private health care payers, providers, and the health care community in general.

Using systematic review methods, EPCs review all relevant scientific literature on a wide spectrum of clinical topics to produce various types of evidence reports intended to inform health care decisions by patients, providers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

EPCs produce technical reports on systematic review methodological topics and other types of evidence synthesis-related reports such as reports summarizing future research needs for a given topic. In addition, EPCs, the Scientific Resource Center, and other AHRQ-funded entities have produced tools and software to aid researchers.